The Shape of Your Marriage Shapes Faith

Children of divorce don't just lose faith in marriage--they lose faith altogether! Hello, I'm Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. If you give up on marriage, your kids are more likely to give up on God. That's the bottom line of a new study by the Institute for American Values. Based on their research, divorce doesn't just have social consequences, but religious ones too. Children from broken homes were about half as likely to regularly attend church as their intact family friends. Even kids from so-called "good divorces" suffered in their faith. According to some grown-ups, living through the breakup of their parents' marriage hurt their core spiritual beliefs. Others said church wasn't really a priority for their parents after divorce. Only a third of them said their single dads ever encouraged them to worship. And that's a shame, because religion--and especially the church--can be the source of stability these hurting kids are lacking. So, work on your marriage--and help your children keep the faith!